The Birtday Week Begins

So as you may know tuesday is my birthday and I've decided to start early!

I made Vietnamese noodle salad I found on cooking light but I didn't stick to recipe. I started with mung bean noodles which are those really skinny noodles that look like glass or spun sugar. I boiled water then poured it over the noodles, then I almost immediately drained it. Then the easy part! As if that wasn't easy enough I added chopped up roast beef from the deli counter, about 8 oz., shredded carrot (I bought it shredded) chopped up snap peas, green onion, 1/2 cup of teriyaki sauce, two squirts of sesame oil, saracha (hot chili and garlic paste) and put it in the microwave for a couple minutes. Poured it over the noodles and served over spinach. I would use  much more green onion next time and grilled tofu instead of the roast beef. It was a little salty and I think that would help.

Celebration

I thought I failed my organic chemistry exam but i actually did pretty well!

So  I making myself baked brussel sprouts... one of my favorites. I used to hate them and hide them on my plate but after going to Wheaton and being deprived of anything fresh I actually craved them. They're super easy to make. Cut of their stems and cut them in half. Then put them on a baking sheet, spray with olive oil, a little salt and pepper and put them in a 425 degree oven.

After they were done i put them aside and lined a sheet with foil and put a rack on it. Then i took a piece of tilapia and put ranch on it and then panko. This also cooks at 425 10 minutes flip then 10 minutes more. I usually do this at home with catfish but tilapia looked better at the store... YUMMO!

Whip it up!

So I had leeks, a head of green cabbage, and one sun dried tomato garlic chicken sausage in my fridge. I cooked the leeks and cabbage together in a big pot with minimal evoo and salt and pepper. then I took the veggies out and put the sausage in. After it got nice and toasty I put the veggies back in with a little white wine and it is DELISH! I put a little saracha sauce on the side and it is just bomb dot com. Doesn't it look good?

NOTE: After you chop your leeks make sure you soak them in a cold water bath. They grow in sandy soil and often have silt between the layers... That's a crunch that everyone knows and nobody likes.

Fun Fact

Here's a little ditty I found out today about one of my favorite ingredients... GARLIC. The health benefits of garlic depend on its contact with oxygen. Thiosulfinates are good for your heart, they help prevent the build up of blood platelets in your arteries. Thiosulfinates develop when the inside of the garlic clove is exposed to air. So, if you want to boost your thiosulfinate intake, finely mince your garlic and then set it aside (covered so it won't dry out) to give time for the thiosulfinates to develop. Grinding on your microplane would be even better!

Quinoa

My goal is to cook as healthy as possible so I started my journey with a quinoa salad I found in Cosmopolitan magazine. It was super refreshing and went perfectly with the salty popcorn shrimp I had in the freezer. Quinoa is surprisingly easy to cook and it was the hardest step of the whole dish! It makes a lot so next time I think I'll halve the recipe but I got many lunches and dinners out of it.

Lemony Quinoa Cucumber Pilaf

3 cups water

1 1/2 cups quinoa

1 English cucumber peeled and chopped

1/2 cup crumbled feta

1/4 cup chopped dill

1/4 cup chopped mint

2 TBSP extra-virgin olive oil

2 TBSP lemon juice(I used the whole lemon)

salt and pepper

In a small sauce pan, combine water and quinoa, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and let simmer for 15-20 minutes, until liquid has been absorbed. Let it cool completely.

In a bowl, combine cooled quinoa, cucumber, feta, dill, mint, olive oil, and lemon juice. Toss to combine. Refrigerate before cooling.

NOTE: You can salt and pepper but as a rule I always try it first, I didn't need any. Blindly adding salt without tasting will, over time, desensitize you. Salt is essential to cooking, but developing a heavy hand will kill and good recipe, and you.

Next time I might add some green or white onion.

Enjoy!

The beginning

I just moved into my first apartment and I'm ready to get cooking! I'm going to share my culinary successes and failures with whoever reads this. I love cooking for myself and for others and I especially love exploring new techniques and flavors. Most of you who are reading this are obligated to because you are my family and friends, but I hope you enjoy it and that you can learn along with me!